Feerott Bio of a Dwarven Warrior
by Richard March
Summary: This is the story of the coming of age of the Dwarf Feerott, and his human sister Salany as they adventure into the wilds of Everquest. This is my first writing and I know it needs work so all imput is welcome. I'm excited to know what people think.
1. Chapter 1

The trail was dusty and worn, having been used for many years by the deer and local wildlife for many years. 20 men in single file moving along it, some having to use makeshift walking sticks to keep going. Over 100 had travelled this trail just a day before. Liggit's mind wandered to what his thoughts were then. Over 100 men from the human, elf and dwarven villages walked up this trail. Now only 20 returned, broken and bleeding. He was in better shape than most. He could hear behind him the soft shuffle of feet, and the sound of the makeshift walking sticks thumping lightly on the ground supporting the weight of some of those that were more badly wounded. The brush would rustle now and then as someone staggered from the path, quickly helped back onto it by another.

The blood was no longer running into his eyes. This was a good thing, he thought. It was hard to see for a while. At the rate they were moving, it was going to be nightfall before they made it back to the village. The men had only broken camp 3 hours ago, but already the trail seemed endless.

The silence was suddenly broken as someone from the rear shouted "Incoming Dragons!"

They instinctively dove into the brush for cover, swords and ax's drawn for the upcoming battle. Surely, he thought, they are coming to finish the job.

They soared high above their heads, 30 or more strong. Their scales shining in the sun, making their skin appear as though they actually were covered in diamonds. Even though death was near, he couldn't shake the awe of the splendor and beauty of them as he watched them fly past. And then realization stuck, They flew past! They weren't attacking after all.

"We've routed them from the lair! They've had enough and are finally leaving our valley!" the cheers were all around him. Liggit knew better. There were no females, no young. The entire flight of dragon that had just flown over were the young male fighters. It was a hunting party. He had seen that before. He kept this to himself for now, as it seemed that the spirits of those with him had been raised, and it certainly would make the walk home a little better, at least for them.

For the next few hours, it was certainly better. The wine flasks had come out, and they were being passed around the group, human sharing with elf, sharing with dwarf. All racial tensions were at this moment, completely gone. They were at last, one people.

"If nothing else good comes from this, this might make it worth it." He mumbled softly.

"Liggit! Don't tell me YOU'VE not a wish to join us in drink! Tell us, now. Have you any tales that can match this great adventure?" The laughter and singing quieted a bit as the men waited like children to see if Liggit would tell one of his great adventure stories. He thought for a moment, and sighed. His heart was heavy still knowing that it wasn't truly over.

"Liggit, Tell us of Feerrott!" one of the men shouted, and then said quietly to no-one in particular, "That's been my favorite adventure since I was a small boy."

"You STILL are a small boy." was the quick response. The laughter resumed in earnest at this.

Taking a pull from a wine flask that had been thrust into his face, Liggit stopped, and leaned against a nearby tree.

"Feerrott," he began, "Was indeed a great adventure. I was a young dwarf then, younger than most of you are now. It was a great place to search for treasures, and of creatures not heard of in our home land. I had to be constantly aware for the sound of Ogres and Trolls that might be on patrol. There were strange creatures I have yet to forget, part frog, part human. Others were more like lizards." He looked upward, getting lost in the memories and had to smile as he continued, "Hell, there were even some giant mushrooms that would attack you there!"

"Sounds like you had some good wine THEN as well, Lig!" The men laughed hard, most now sitting on the edge of the trail, or leaning themselves listening to the story. It was a nice break, and one that was much needed.

"The swamp area was, of course, a very wet place. My armor was constantly in need of a good buffing. In the heart of this jungle was a huge temple. Cazic Thule was the name of the lord of that place. In my travels, I heard tell of him wiping out entire companies of men, as well as entire companies of ogre and troll. It seemed he didn't care who died. As long as he was left alone, he didn't bother too many folks."

"Did you leave him alone, Lig?" someone asked, already knowing the answer. In fact, they all knew the answer. Liggit had no idea how many times before he had told this story, and so many others, but for some reason, they all loved hearing about this swamp.

"I left him alone, sure. I only went to visit his minions upstairs." (More laughter)

The men sat and listened as they all had for years, hearing all about the swamp, and the lost temple, and the battles inside with the undead. He had no idea how much time had passed, with the wine, and the stories. It was probably a couple hours wasted, but their spirits needed to be lifted.

The shout was heard again, snapping him out of his story and laughter, "Incoming Dragons!"

And indeed, the dragons were overhead again, flying north towards their lair.

"This can't be good." Someone said quietly, echoing the thoughts of everyone on the path. The packs were slipped back on, the wine flasks put away, and the walking began again. Each man thinking the same thought, "They came from the direction of home!"

It wasn't more than an hour than they were stopped by a sound. A horrible sound. Men dropped to their knees, others refused to admit what they heard.

From far off in the distance, a low, very loud rumble was heard, and then a sound like an explosion that was nearly deafening. The very earth shook beneath their feet. After a few moments, all was silent. The birds were not singing, the men were not laughing; indeed, it seemed as if the entire world was silent, in shock.

The silence was finally broken, a very faint voice from one of the men, "Oh by the Gods, they've brought down the mountain.

Those that could, ran. Those that could not, limped, hobbled or used whatever means necessary to get home as fast as they could now. Time seemed to stand still, and the hours now seemed an eternity. Liggit was far in front of the rest of the group, having fewer injuries.

They made it to the valley long before nightfall, and followed the river towards the mountain. There was still a cloud of dust far ahead of them, hanging like a dark, evil cloud upon the ground, and the river they followed was full of debris. Burned pieces of burnt lumber and other charred remains floated past them in a river brown with mud and rock. Eventually, one at a time, they made it though the forest into the clearing. It looked like a war zone, the likes of which even Liggit had never seen. The dead and dying were everywhere. He found one of his neighbors, an older merchant, sitting in the field amongst the debris, covered in blood. His right arm was shredded, and his right leg was twisted and bent in ways that a leg is not supposed to bend.

"Elgrin! Have you seen Elgrin!" he shouted. The old man, simply sat and stared at the side of the mountain.

"Can you hear me, fool! Have you seen Elgrin!" He was in such a state of panic, he wanted to grab him and shake the information out of him, but knew that he was already seeing death. The old man, simply stared, muttering "They came in so fast, so fast. They were everywhere. The fire. It's all burning. All dead. All dead."

Liggit left him there, and continued to run through the field. A stream had formed where there had been none before. It was coming out of what was once the entrance to the city. It was there he found what he did not want to find. He saw a leg coming out from underneath some rubble, and upon clearing it off the body, to his horror, he found her. Elgrin was lying on her back, her eyes staring blankly up at the sky. He was almost shocked at the peaceful almost pleasant look that was on her face still. In her arms, she still clutched the most horrible sight he could ever imagine. That of a small infant, burned black from the dragons fire.

Throwing his pack on the ground, he threw himself on the ground, wrapping the bodies in his arms and cried. He knew at this moment, his own life was over as well.

Slowly raising up, his eye's filled with an intense hatred and fire, he pulled his battle ax from its sheath, stood above the body of his wife, and slowly turned north. The hatred spread like a wave across his face and through his entire body until in a rage, he shook uncontrollably. With his ax raised above his head, he screamed "By the names of the gods, I shall avenge thee!"

He ran north. He ran past the bodies, the survivors, the men that he had just hours ago had been drinking, laughing and telling stories with, yet he saw nothing. His eyes were looking miles ahead, and nowhere. They saw him run like a madman into the forest and disappear into the underbrush. He was making his own trail as he ran. They all knew he was gone, and would never return.


	2. Chapter 2

"What a beautiful morning" Elgrin thought as she foraged through the brush. Normally she would have Morgan with her while she picked berries and roots. Even as an infant, he already loved going with her into the forest. He seemed happiest while they were walking down the paths, or along the river, his eyes taking in everything around them.

"You are going to grow up an adventurer, just like your father." She would always say to him. Indeed, she felt that the day he learned to walk, he would never leave the forest, wanting to explore every nook and cranny.

Today was a special day, however, and she was behind in her chores. Her husband was due to return today with the other warriors, and she wanted to make a special feast for him upon his return. So to save a little time, she left Morgan with her neighbor, Wrenn.

Wrenn was a middle aged dwarven woman, and she and her husband had never had children of their own, so she was always more than happy to take care of any child of any race that needed a home for an hour, a day, a week. So, Elgrin had no fears of leaving Morgan in her care. He was happy there.

She had half a basket full of berries, and turned to look for another good bush, her eyes scanning the river bed. It was then that she saw them. About 30 young dragons, flying single file into the cavern. Her heart felt like it had stopped.

She dropped the basket that she was carrying, and the roots and berries flew in all directions. She ran down the river, cut through the forest path, and out into the field in front of the cavern entrance. The two towers that bordered the 100 foot tall entrance seemed so very far away now, but on she ran. Half way across the field she could hear the screams from inside already. The smoke of fire was billowing out of the entrance. Dwarves, humans and elves alike were joined by hundreds of willow-wisps, all scrambling to escape the inferno inside. She frantically scanned the crowds, looking for Wrenn and her son, but after a few moments, she rushed inside against the crowd.

It was so hard to see with the light of the wisps gone from inside, but the flames cast a new kind of light. Everything inside was bathed in an eerie reddish-orange glow because of the smoke and the fire. The dragons were everywhere above her, wheeling in the air, swooping down, with fire exploding from their mouths and nostrils as they passed. They were burning everything!

She rushed down the side streets, some of them barely wide enough for a cart to travel. It was only another 500 yards to her hut, towards the back of the city, but with the smoke, it was so hard to see where she was.

She turned onto one of the main passage ways that led to the back of the cavern, and ran. A scream came from directly behind her, and she turned to look instinctively, only to see one of the merchants she had known all her life, being snatched from the ground by a passing dragon, and lifted high into the air. She watched in horror as it shook his head from side to side, tearing into the flesh of it's victim, only to drop the now lifeless body to the ground below. Indeed, it was as if hell itself had opened up into the heart of their city.

She made it to the back of the cavern and was relieved to see that the huts in back had not been burned yet.

"They're ok!" she thought, "They must be. THEY HAVE TO BE!"

She rushed into her neighbors hut, but found it empty. She ran from there to her own, and it too was empty. As she ran through the doorway into the street, she saw another of her neighbors lying on his side, bleeding horribly.

"Inglin, where is Wrenn and Morgan!" she screamed. She was nearly blind with panic now.

"They're safe." He was barely able to speak. "She took the children outside. They were in the field playing when the dragons struck. It's OK. They're safe." He wasn't able to continue. His eyes slowly closed, and he rested then.

"Oh, Inglin, No! Come on!" she took him by the shoulders trying to wake him so they could escape. "COME ON!" But he was not going to wake up, and she realized that now. She forced herself away, the tears burning her eyes as much as the heat. A dragon swooped towards them, bathing everything in its path in flames. She barely rolled away in time to escape the fire, but as she turned, she saw her hut, Wrenns hut, and everything around her burst into flame. It was truly all gone now.

Her heart was heavy with the loss of Inglin, and so many others she knew, but at the same time, was overjoyed knowing that Morgan and the other children were safe in the forest with Wrenn. She ran towards the entrance now, but it was doubly hard because the smoke had become worse, as more and more of the city was burning. She could hear crashing ahead of her, but couldn't tell what it was. It was like the gods had a smithies hammer and were hammering out iron ore in a giant forge. She had no choice but to run towards it as the cavern entrance was on the other side of the cavern from where she was.

As she neared the center support spire, she saw to her horror, the source of the noise. The larger of the dragons were flying as fast as they could, turning at the last second to crash sidelong into the spire. Over and over, 7 or 8 or them flew up, then back down, taking turns crashing into it.

"By the gods, they are going to bury us all!" she screamed. A young dragon, attracked by her scream, came straight at her from behind. She never saw it coming, never heard a sound. Suddenly she found herself flying through the air, landing 50 feet or more away from where she had been standing. The pain was more intense than she could ever have imagined. The dragons' teeth had ripped her side open from her right arm down to her waist. But she could still run, and run she did, straight through the cavern towards the safety of the forest outside.

She was 100 feet from the entrance, when she heard a child scream from inside a nearby hut. It was engulfed in flame, but there was enough room where the doorway was to make it through. There were two children inside. One child was lying in a burning crib, the other crouched under a table, screaming in terror. Without thinking of anything but safety, she snatched the baby from the crib, and grabbed the other by the arm, dragging him kicking and screaming from under the table. She ran out of the burning hut into the smoke filled street and heard a crash from behind her. She didn't have to turn to know that the hut had just collapsed. She could no longer run, but could still walk. Dragging one child by the arm, and holding the infant to her blood soaked breast, she slowly made it to the cavern entrance. Someone ran past her and took the screaming child up into their arms and kept running. "Hurry Gurlen, hurry! The center spire has cracked! It's going to collapse!" She didn't know who it was, and indeed didn't know where the voice came from. The sounds of the screaming, the crushing explosions from the destruction all faded away. She could see the sunlight in front of her. The smoke was thick around her.

"How odd," she thought to herself, "The campfires have not made this much smoke in a very long time." She looked down at the badly burned and lifeless body in her arms, but in her eyes, all she saw was her own son.

"Come along now Morgan. We need to pick berries for tonight's dinner. Your father will be home soon, and we want everything to be just right."

She stumbled towards the light, leaning against the cavern wall for support. The dragons rushed past her on their exit from the caverns making her hair whip wildly around her from the wind they caused. Suddenly she was alone, standing in the sunlight, the air was crisp and fine. It was a beautiful spring morning. "It's a fine day to forage." She thought. "Spending the day by the river, and playing in the water. Morgan likes the water. It is a fine day."

As she stepped into the field, the mountain gave a low rumble behind her. She didn't hear it. The earth began to shake, but she kept walking forward toward the trail, staggering this way and that, barely able to walk between the loss of blood and the shaking of the earth. She looked at her son in her arms. What a beautiful strong boy. What bright adventurous eyes. You will be a fine man someday Morgan. You will make us both very proud. She made it about 100 feet from the entrance when the mountain collapsed behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mooooooorgaaaaaaaaan!" it was a sound he was all too familiar with. His mother.

"Mooooooorgaaaaaaaaan!" she repeated again.

"In here mother."

""There you are. Your brothers and sisters are outside, enjoying the fresh air. Why don't you go out and play!" Urgana was standing in the doorway to his room now, her arms folded across her chest. The smile never left her face. She always made him feel better, even when he was in one of his depressed moods, as he was today.

"I love you, mom"

"I love you too, Morgan. Salany is asking about you. She's worried you know. You spend far too much time looking at these old maps and things and not enough time out doors."

"Did my father really go to all of these places?" he asked, not even hearing her.

"Oh yes, Morgan, he really did. But that was so long ago. That was back before time itself began." She smiled, hoping he would as well.

Morgan, simply looked back down at the old wooden table, it was covered with old maps and journals, along with various items that didn't make any sense to him at all. The musty old pack that belonged to his father sat on the floor nearby, worn thin from the years, but still holding up. It was the only thing that had been saved from his family.

Morgan's mother walked silently across the room, untying her apron and tossing it over a nearby chair, she sat next to him, and gently put her arm around him.

"All these places, and all these adventures. He never tired of telling us the stories. He was a great adventurer, Morgan. Your father was a man to be proud of. Now, put these things away and go outside!"

Morgan sighed, which made Urgana think again how much like his father he had become.

"My birthday is soon." He said, his mind still wandering through the maps. "I am supposed to choose my adult name. I haven't, mother. I have tried to think of a name that would honor my father, but I don't know anything about him except from the stories."

"You will, Morgan. I have no doubts. You are a very bright young man. You have time yet. Your celebration is yet a few days away. You have time."

His eyes danced across the maps and papers on the table, and spied a map he had seen many times before. It was one of the most worn in the pile. It was marked with drawings and sketches of frog and lizard like people, with a large 'X' drawn in one of the corners with the word "Cazic Thule" written above it. Across the top of the map, in large bold letters were the words, "Feerott, S. Antonica." He had looked at this map many times over the years, and wondered what great adventures must have taken place there. Even the elders talked about it, and though none had ever been there, they described it wonderfully.

"I think I do have a name chosen, mother. And I think it will honor my father."

She put her arms around him and gave him a big squeeze, and said "That's fine, dear. That's just fine. Now, Get this mess picked up, get yourself dressed, and get outside. You sister has been wanting you for hours!"

Morgan wandered outside. It really was a nice day. The yard was full of children of all races. His mother was always there to be the mother of any child without a family. He had no idea how many "brothers and sisters" he has had over the years. So many of them were human, and of course they grew up so fast, most of them were married and had children of their own now. Sometimes he resented still being treated as a child. At 39 years old, a human was considered ancient! But to a dwarf, he was still very young.

Salany spotted him from across the yard. She was a lovely girl for a human, he thought. She was every bit as adventurous as he was, and they often walked for hours into the forest in search of adventure, even if it was all just imaginary. Salany waved at him to come over, not missing a note from the lute she was playing. Apart from having someone to adventure with, Morgan truly loved her music. She played the Lute, the drums, and sang. Sometimes when they were walking, she would play her hand drum and sing a song, and it made the walk seem effortless. Other times when he was fighting something, pretending it to be one of the ogres he had heard about, she would play her lute and sing a song, and he felt so strong. It was truly a magical ability. Salany's mother had the same gift. Morgan had a vague memory of her parents. Salany's mother would often play and sing at the evening campfires, entertaining everyone. It was a sad day when they died. Salany's parents had taken her with them to forage, and were attacked and killed by a bear. Salany's mother had thrown her into the brush to hide her. It saved her life, but left her, like Morgan, without a mother and father. This fact also brought the two of them closer together, having that bond between them. She was more like a real sister than anyone else he had known.

"Heya, Morgan. Where have you been hiding?" she asked in song. "I've been waiting for hours, my time I have been biding. The day is young, the forest green, the monsters are a-playing, time for us to venture out, it's time to go a-slaying."

Morgan's laughter at the horrible verse made her laugh at herself as well. The song stopped as she rolled backwards in the grass, setting the lute carefully aside. Still laughing, she caught Morgan in the side of the leg with a swift kick that made him lose his balance. Dropping to his side, she rolled quickly, and jumped on top of him while he was still on his back.

"Not fair! I wasn't ready!"

"You laughed at my song. You're going to get it now!" and she began to tickle him in earnest, knowing full well he couldn't resist that.

Laughing so hard his sides began to hurt, he finally grabbed her and threw her off of his chest. "I'm going to tell mom on you if you don't stop it!"

"You're going to tell her what, that you were beaten by a girl? Some warrior YOU'RE going to make!"

"You take that back!" he said with a laugh. "You are going to be in SOO much trouble. I'll tell mom that you kissed the neighbor boy!"

"You wouldn't dare!" she shouted back at him. "You do, and I'll tell that YOU went to the mountain the other day!"

"You were with me! You would be in just as much trouble!"

"Yes, but in MY version, I only went to bring you home"

"But YOU were the one who jumped in the stream!" he countered.

"YOU were the one who came home sopping wet!" she fired back.

"It was my armor. It wouldn't dry fast enough!"

"Armor? It's wicker. What kind of warrior wears wicker. That's for Monks!"

Morgan grabbed her and threw her to the ground, tickling HER this time, both of them laughing and screaming so loud now, that Urgana stepped outside to see what the commotion was about.

"What is all this noise about you two! You are going to wake the Gods."

"Sorry mother" they both said in unison.

"I should hope so. If you can't play nice, don't play at all." She said with a smile, knowing that the bond the two of them shared would last forever.

Morgan rolled over on his back along side Salany, and the two just laid in silence for a while lost in their own personal thought. Salany was the first one to break the silence.

"Morgan, I'm moving away soon. I am 18 now, and it's time I found my own being."

Morgan was stunned. He knew the other human race brothers and sisters had all moved away at that age, but he always thought it would be different with Salany.

"I'm going to stay for your coming of age party, I mean, you're my favorite big brother. I wouldn't miss it for the world. But then…." It was silent for a long while.

"Where are you going to go?" he asked quietly.

"There is a human outpost in a place called Qeynos. I will fit in there."

Morgan rolled onto his side to face her. "You fit in here! What are you talking about!"

"Come on Morgan. I'm a human, growing up as a dwarf. I mean, I love you and mom, but I need to discover what a human girl is supposed to be!"

Morgan laid back and stared at the sky for a while, not sure what to say. He knew she was right, but didn't want her to be.

"Come with me, Morgan. We can have such WONDERFUL adventures together there. I mean, you've been studying those maps forever. Isn't it time you saw the places for real?"

Morgan continued to stare at the sky, and sighed.

"You always do that when you want to say something. What?"

"I was just thinking, that you're right. It is time I saw those places. It's what I've been training at school for for years. But…."

"But what?"

"Well, I wouldn't fit in there. Just as you want to go to a human city, I think I would rather go to a dwarven city. I do know of a place I've been wanting to see and visit, but it's so far away from here, and from Qeynos."

"Tell me about it, Morgan? Where. What's it like?"

"It's a place called Kaladim. It's on one of my fathers maps. The notes say it is a dwarven city, that has a warriors guild. I can go there for more training. Someday, I'm going to slay the dragon that killed my parents, and the only way I can do that is to join this guild. They will train me in the ways of fighting."

"Morgan, You know we both have to go soon anyway. I'm 18, you're almost 40. It sounds funny, but really, we're the same age. The world is a small place. We will see each other again. I know it. You're my favorite big brother. You'll not get away from me THAT easy."

"And you are my favorite little sister. Who's going to protect you if I don't go too."

At that, they had to smile at each other, and the smiles quickly turned into laughter, and the laughter quickly turned into yet another tickle fight, complete with the laughing and screaming that goes along with it.

From the house they faintly heard, "Will you two PLEASE stop that fighting!"


End file.
